masterofmagicfandomcom-20200216-history
Halfling Shamans
|upkeep_cost = |num_figures = |moves = |melee = |ranged = ( ) |defense = |resist = |hits = |abilities = Ranged Attack x4 Healer Purify Lucky }} Halfling Shamans are a type of Normal Unit that can be recruited in Halfling Towns containing at least a Shrine. Shamans are a basic support unit capable of accelerating the recovery of wounded allies overland, and attacking enemies from a distance with magic during combat. While Halfling Shamans are not particularly powerful, they are remarkably resistant to Unit Curses and Special Damage, and can also become stronger with . Halfling Shamans have a Construction Cost of , and require an Upkeep Cost of and to maintain. Failure to pay these costs will result in the unit being disbanded automatically. Unit Properties Physical Description Halfling Shamans are a group of short humanoids, no more than a few feet in height. They are dressed in long blue robes with red belts, and are the only Halflings seen to wear shoes (black boots, in this case). Halfling Shamans carry staves, which are used to channel magical energy into useful applications. While they can also use their staves for hand-to-hand combat, they are not physically strong enough to pose a serious threat to their opponents. Halfling Shamans are a , containing up to individuals. Attack Properties Halfling Shamans initially possess fairly weak attacks, which will only be threatening to low-tier enemies. Their Melee Attacks have an Attack Strength of which, even with the Lucky ability, has an average "raw" output of only . In other words, there is only a 40% chance for each Shaman to inflict any on the opponent, which may then possibly be reduced by it through a Defense Roll. Therefore, Halfling Shamans are highly unlikely to get through any armor at all in close combat. Their Ranged Attacks are somewhat more formidable. These have a strength of , with an average "raw" output of per Shaman, and are unaffected by the unit's distance from its target. On the other hand, they can only be used 4 times per battle. However, the strength and accuracy of both Attack Types of the Halfling Shamans gets better with . At the level, the maximum normally attainable, each Shaman can deliver an average of points of "raw" in hand-to-hand combat, and at a range. The magic of Halfling Shamans is considered to come from the Realm, and this is what their Ranged Attacks are associated with. As such, they will trigger the conditional modifiers granted by the and spells, making them much less effective against targets bearing these Unit Enchantments. While they are not considered to be direct , and are not nullified outright by Magic Immunity, the ability's will nonetheless make any opponent possessing it virtually impossible to hurt with these attacks. Defensive Properties Halfling Shamans wear medium armor, and possess a Defense score of . They can deflect about points from Conventional Damage attacks, on average - often enough to avoid those of the lowest-tier Normal Units. Just like common foot soldiers though, each Halfling Shaman has only . In other words, every point of inflicted on this unit will kill off one of its . On the other hand, being magic-users of a Race with a natural resilience against ill magic, the Resistance score of Halfling Shamans is impressive. Combined with the Lucky ability, they have in battle, which makes them very difficult to afflict with Unit Curses and other combat maledictions. With some , they can become virtually immune to most such effects. Other Properties Halfling Shamans move at a slow , and can only traverse land tiles. The unit has no special movement properties. It does however, possess the Healer and Purify abilities, both of which allow performing specialized functions on the overland map. The first trait recovers up to 20% of the total health of every unit on the Shamans' tile at the beginning of each game turn - including themselves. This healing is always rounded down though, and as a result it won't actually help the Shamans initially, since they only have a total of × = , the 20% of which rounds down to . Naturally, it also won't affect any other unit with an overall health pool lower than . The Healer ability does not stack, so each unit can only benefit from it once per turn. Therefore, having multiple Halfling Shamans in a group will not accelerate the recovery of injuries any further. Unfortunately, there is also a bug associated with this ability in the latest official version of the game. Any unit that is healed by Halfling Shamans that were created before the unit itself will effectively forego its natural healing for the turn. This is not intended however, and is corrected in the latest release candidates of the unofficial v1.51 patch. The other ability of Halfling Shamans lets them remove Corruption from overland map tiles. Although not overly common, and typically limited to being used by Wizards, the effect of Corruption can be quite troublesome, as it negates all Town contribution from the tiles it appears on, including that of any Terrain Specials. To cleanse a tile, the Shamans must move onto it, and activate their ability using the "Purify" command at the bottom of the overland unit window - this also requires them to be selected and have Movement Allowance remaining. It takes 4 + 1 turns to remove Corruption from one map square, with the former number representing progress that can be shared among multiple units with the Purify ability. Basic Strategy Halfling Shamans are a versatile support unit that can fill multiple roles both in- and outside of combat. While they have less and ammunition than Halfling Bowmen, their higher Attack Strength, heavier , and lack of distance penalties make them better suited for battles that need to be decided in the first few turns. However, Halfling Shamans are more expensive to train and maintain than Bowmen. Ultimately though, both units pale in comparison to the Halflings' signature Ranged Attack unit: Slingers. They not only have twice as many than Halfling Shamans do, but also more ammo, and an Attack Type that is easier to improve - and has the same base strength. The only time when the Shamans may be better in practice is when going up against enemies with Missile Immunity. Regardless of whether they play a primary ranged role though, Halfling Shamans still have merit. Their healing skill can significantly reduce the time it takes for wounded soldiers to become battle-ready again, although if recruited for this ability alone, a single unit of Shamans is usually enough for each army stack. In fact, it may be better for them to follow the fighting group instead of being part of it in this case. This not only prevents them from being sniped, but also allows a full 9 other units to be used in the stack they are supporting. Granted, the Shamans will not get battle this way, but since the Healer ability does not scale with their level, this should not make much of a difference if they stay out of combat anyway. Finally, Halfling Shamans may be necessary to recruit when going up against practitioners of magic, as Corruption can be a serious hindrance to the player's economy. Whether a single unit can handle the task of cleansing the neighbouring lands will of course depend on the frequency of the opponents using spells with this effect. While it may be tempting to create 4 Shamans to get the fastest Purify times, this is not always efficient, especially when one unit can cleanse a tile before another Corruption appears, or the entire group is even recruited. On the other hand, treasury allowing, having a dedicated full group can ensure that critical resources, such as Terrain Specials, are regained in the most timely manner possible. Ability Overview Ranged Attack x4 * This unit may use a instead of a Melee Attack up to 4 times in each battle. Once the unit's ammo is expended, it must resort to Melee Attacks. Lucky * During combat, this unit receives a bonus, improving the chance for each die of its Attack Rolls to cause a point of "raw" . * During combat, this unit receives a bonus, improving the chance for each die of its Defense Rolls to block a point of Conventional Damage. * During combat, the Resistance of this unit is improved by , making it easier to avoid the effects of Unit Curses and Special Damage attacks. * Furthermore, any Melee- or Counter Attacks against this unit suffer a penalty of , although this effect is seemingly unintended, and is removed in the unofficial patches. Healer * At the beginning of each overland turn, every friendly unit that is on the same map tile as one with this ability is healed for up to 20% of its maximum total , rounded down. * This ability has no effect on Undead and creatures. * Multiple instances of this ability are not cumulative. Purify * This unit can remove Corruption from overland map tiles. * To use this ability, the unit needs to be on a valid tile, be selected, and have Movement Allowance remaining. If all requirements are met, the "Purify" command becomes active in the unit window at the bottom right of the screen. * Cleansing a tile takes 4 + 1 game turns, with the first number representing progress that can be shared among multiple units with this ability - resulting in total times ranging from 2 turns with 4 units, to 5 with a single one. Experience Table The following table illustrates how Halfling Shamans improve with Experience. Any properties that are not listed here are not affected by in any way. * To achieve this level, either the Warlord Retort or the spell must be in play. ** To achieve this level, both Warlord and must be in play simultaneously. Average Damage Output The table below details the average amount of "raw" that each in a Halfling Shamans unit will deliver with each type of attack, based on . It can be used in comparison to the target's Defense rating to approximate the chance of hurting that target. Acquisition Halfling Shamans may be recruited in any Halfling Town that has a Shrine already built. The Construction Cost of this unit is . Halfling Shamans may also appear as Mercenaries, provided that the player has a presence on Arcanus. In this case, they cost between to to hire per unit, based on their - or half that much for Charismatic Wizards. Category:Units Category:Normal Units Category:Halflings Category:Shamans